All-American News

Black Farmers Gathered In Memphis

Black Farmers Gathered In Memphis
Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association members gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Thu., Nov. 30, 2017.
The majority of BFAA’s membership base is in Memphis and the Mid-South. West Tennessee is the nation’s seventh largest producer of cotton. During the meeting, Bishop David A. Hall, Sr., advisor for the organization, introduced policies to help members focus on farming, including naming a financial institution that will assists them in purchasing farm equipment.
“Our members are landowners and not farmers because they have been repeatedly denied financial resources by the U. S. Department of Agriculture,” Bishop Hall pointed out. “They own the resources but they can’t produce. Our goal is to get them access to capital.”
Thomas Burrell, president of the BFAA, was on hand to answer questions regarding who had standing in the class-action racial discrimination lawsuit against the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
The U. S. Court of Appeals made a landmark decision in favor of the farmers on October 31. Now, the farmers can present their case to the court and file a claim which they were previously denied based on race by a government contractor.
“They need to know that they have a chance to participate,” commented Thomas Burrell who is an advocate on behalf of the 15,000 membership nationwide. “We filed the lawsuit for the benefit of our members. Now we have an opportunity to perfect our argument.” Visit the website at www.mybfaa.us.